In September 2008, Mr. George H. Starke, Jr., who was the first black student to join the University of Florida, at the Levin College of Law, visited Gainesville to join the black students there, to celebrate the 50th year after this institution of higher learning accepted his representation of the Black community. In the subsequent years, the gates of the University of Florida were opened to the blacks and over 12000 black students have completed graduation here. Ten years after his success, the black students and faculty started African American studies which dealt with the cultural, social, and psychological experiences of the black students in several universities. (The global economy: In search of green shots, 2009). The discrimination faced by immigrant students is not limited to a single place or university. This paper discusses the marginalization of black students in Canadian educational institutions.
With the development and technological improvement of mass communication, the world as a whole has been brought closer. Global migration improved, as a result of which every field of work and study has foreign people in it. Giddens (1990) and Robertson (1990, 1997), define globalization as a “dialectical process because it does not bring about a generalized set of changes acting in a uniform direction, but consists in mutually opposed tendencies.” (Journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies, p.3). At present, America, being a favorite place among the students, receives a lot of international students from its schools and universities. The educational institutions which had male dominance in the earlier times, now consist of girls and working students. Besides, ethnic and cultural diversities can be seen due to the increasing number of foreign students. However, this has led to racial and ethnic discrimination and prejudice towards the immigrants by the dominant groups. Often, these people are helpless because they form only a minority in society. The recurring problems faced by international students have resulted in a decline in their number. They face a lot of psychological and social problems from their ignorant teachers and fellow students who dominate society.
The blacks are one of the most marginalized groups in Canada based on race, color, and cultural differences. The students’ identities are denied as a result of such injustice done to them by the dominant white students. In discussing this topic, it is important to understand what exactly is meant by the term identity. “As a category, identity announces who we are and calls upon notions of nation, class, gender, and ethnicity… identity is a process of making identifications, a process that is continuous and incomplete.” (Mapping the field, p.13). The present educational system supports racial and cultural discrimination against blacks. The syllabus often does not include literature about the black culture and history, and if at all included, they deal with a biased version of colonization and black studies. The prejudice even by educators, adds to their problems and they fail to recognize their own history and culture. Such discrimination can be, to an extent lessened if the prevailing educational systems undergo a change by promoting multicultural studies, workshops, and interactions in the institutions in Canada.
The racial discrimination against the blacks can be traced back to colonial times when they suffered slavery at the hands of the white people. This slavery, though was banned, later on, did not completely wipe off the elements of racism from the minds of the whites even after centuries. They still consider the colored ones as inferior to them. At the same time, they justify their alienation of the black students by blaming them for their high attitude and pride. It is found that benefits like insurance are often denied or delayed for them. Studies show that black students find it more difficult to cope with the curriculum of educational institutions. The unemployment level is also higher in their case, mainly due to two reasons, they do not produce excellent academic results owing to the problems faced by them in institutions and very often companies do not prefer colored people. The present educational system in Canada is the main reason for the sufferings of black people because the teachers discriminate against them from other students. The students from the dominating communities are ignorant about the culture and history of the black people.
The African literature about their history and culture is separated from the curriculum of the institutions. They are not taught along with the other subjects. They are included under optional subjects and the white students do not opt for these subjects because there is a negative stigma attached to them. The curriculum deals with the white people, their life and society. Everything including, history is seen from their point of view teaching only a biased version of it. The marginalized group finds it difficult to relate the topics dealt in the subjects because their culture and traditions are totally different. The children get confused about what to follow and what not to follow. Often, the syllabus includes the lives of the modern rich white families, while the black students might come from a middle-class families. Canadian schools function as perpetrators of inequality, cultural differences, and racism. “Schools, generally speaking, not only sustain asymmetrical social relations of power but foster the binary oppositions in society by confirming that the primary term (the ‘white’ in white ’black; the ‘male’ in male ’female) is superior. (Schooling and Society: Perspectives on knowledge, culture and difference, p.41).
Though the students in Canadian educational institutions include a lot of international and black students, the teacher composition has not undergone a major change. The teachers are mainly limited to white people. This has been a reason for the monocultural curriculum and discrimination against others. A report in 1995 shows that while the student minorities were almost 50% of the total number, teacher minorities were only about 10%. As a result, teachers are not neutral, instead speak and teach about the dominant groups. Many of them are aware of social prejudice and racial discrimination but ignored it because that is how they have been brought up and taught at school. They give more importance to behavior than academic performance, and this weakens the black students. Studies show that black students are not encouraged to involve in cultural activities other than sports. Even students who are good academically are not encouraged to study, instead, they are compelled and trained to participate in sports events. This is due to the known fact that these people have high stamina. Surveys done by interviewing several teachers revealed their misconceptions about the minority groups. While a few teachers suggested the implementation of inclusion of multicultural studies in the curriculum, most of the teachers gave negative responses. They did not support the necessity for such education. “Several White teachers suggested that antiracism efforts had been futile and should be stopped. As one teacher explained: Most teachers consider anti-racist education an unnecessary fad. They don’t view themselves as racist (even if they are), so question why it is important.” (Carr & Klassen, 1997, p.73).
Their cultural identities are denied by such discrimination in schools. This results in poor academic performances by them ultimately leading to unemployment which makes it difficult for them to survive. Many of them drop out of school at a very early age. This affects their personality and future. To overcome these problems they abandon their identities or deconstruct their identities to adapt and follow the dominant culture. This is called acculturation. This causes a lot of emotional and psychological problems.
Every child gets his basic notions and habits from home. But, since school is considered the second home for students, the changes must begin from there. The educational system and teachers’ attitudes must change in order to bring about equity in institutions. The first step that must be taken in this direction is to promote multicultural studies in schools to make everyone, including the dominant and marginalized groups aware of black history and culture. Black history and multiculturalism must be made part of the mainstream curriculum in schools. “The success of multicultural educational programs will depend upon their ability to create unity within the diversity- to integrate ethnic identity at the individual level with a national identification.”(pg-73, Issues in Multicultural Education). The atmosphere in the campus must not alienate the marginalized group, instead, it should be homely. The school must give importance to the interests of the black students. Teachers must make it a point to encourage and support minority groups to improve academically and achieve employment. Unnecessary comments about race and culture must be avoided. Whatever is to be taught should be done without any bias. Instead of discussing the disparities between different cultures. Teachers must focus on the similarities in them so that students learn to relate themselves with others. In order to guide the students properly in the right direction, first, the instructors must have a clear idea about the necessity of mutual love and co=operation. They should understand that the consequences of internal fights between the students are not limited within the four boundaries of the school, but also to their futures. The educators must be able to understand the capability and brilliance of the black students. The more sincere the teachers are, the better the students will succeed academically. The black students must be included not only in sports but also in other extra-curricular and cultural activities of the institution. Students must be encouraged to interact with each other in order to understand the culture and traditions of the blacks better. They should be taught to respect each other. Workshops and talks about black history and the importance of mutual understanding and love can make a lot of difference. Student exchange programs also play a significant role in helping marginalized groups. (Hilliard, 2006).
Apart from all this, the teachers must help the black students in developing self-esteem about themselves. It must be understood that it is the alienation of these students that develop low self-esteem about themselves. The empowerment of these students is very important. No community is powerless completely. Their power is evident from their rebellions against the different kinds of injustice done to them by society. Empowerment, in order to co-operate with others, is what is required and not empowerment over any other dominant group. Most of the students undergo ‘cultural shock’ when they are introduced to a community where the dominating community follows completely different cultures and traditions. “Engaging with people whose practices differ from those of one’s own community can make one aware of aspects of human functioning that are not noticeable until they are missing or differently arranged.”(pg-13, Orienting Concepts and Ways of Understanding the cultural nature of Human Development). Many of them suffer from inferiority feelings. Only the instructors can change their psychological problems. Counselors in the schools and universities must do their bit by conducting personal talks with these students. Moreover, the students must be taught about their traditions, culture, and history. Acculturation should not be encouraged because it causes a lot of stress in the mind of the marginalized students. Instead, they must be taught to understand and follow their own culture. A proper understanding of oneself will aid in the development of one’s identity. Students must know what their internal resources are and how to increase them. The future generations must be taught the need for human values in life in order to succeed in their respective fields. Ultimately, the students must know the irrelevance of the differences between various cultures, in their personal development and success.
References
Carr, Paul, R., & Klassen, Thomas, R. (1997). Different perception of race education: Racial minority and white teachers. Canadian Journal of Education, 22 (1), 73. Web.
Hilliard, Asa. (2006). Successful practices in the education of black students. Webcasts and podcasts for educators. Web.
Journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies, 3. Mapping the field, 13.
Schooling and society: Perspectives on knowledge, culture and difference. 41. The global economy: In search of green shots. (2009). The independent: Business. Web.